Everyone traveling through the Baja California Peninsula should experience Playa El Coyote at Bahía Concepción.

Surprisingly, one of the best places to view bioluminescence is at Playa El Coyote in Baja California Sur.

Well, this was surprising to me anyway.

We decided to do some beach camping during our very hot ride down the Baja peninsula. And found the amazing Playa El Coyote.

It was a beautiful place to set up camp.

During our night spent on the beach, we were able to experience the awesome phenomenon that is bioluminescence. It blew my mind and was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had!

I want to help you have an amazing experience like this too.

I put together this how-to guide and tips for visiting Playa El Coyote to answer any questions you may have and to help your trip go smoothly.

Bioluminescence at Playa El Coyote

We explored well over half of the states of Mexico by motorcycle, discovering the best places to visit and the most epic adventures.

Experiencing the bioluminescence at Playa El Coyote will definitely be one of the main highlights of your trip through Baja California, Mexico.

Despite hearing of these beaches from other travelers, none of us had ever seen bioluminescence in person before.

Luckily, we were told that you can catch this phenomenon almost every night at Playa el Coyote!

Playa El Coyote in Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur

Before I share details about the experience (one forever ingrained into my memory), I want to give you quick geography and biology overview of Playa El Coyote.

First, Playa El Coyote is a camping beach in Bahía Concepción in Baja California Sur.

It is popular for its calm waters, and gorgeous views, and is a great spot for water activities like snorkeling and paddleboarding.

According to the locals and other travelers we met, Playa El Coyote is the BEST place to camp in Bahía Concepción, (as well as a fantastic location to spot bioluminescence).

So naturally, that is where we headed on our motorcycles.

The beach is a few miles south of Mulegé. Bioluminescence is a wonder of nature that is most visible—and best appreciated—at night.

You will want to plan to visit Playa El Coyote on nights with little to no moonlight as a full or bright moon can make it more difficult to see.

What to Bring

Although there are some things you should pack along no matter where you go in Mexico, there are some specific things you should bring to experience Playa El Coyote.

Playa El Coyote is a fantastic location for snorkeling. There are so many unique forms of marine wildlife. Including one of the largest fish in the world, whale sharks!

Even though the water is very clear, it is so much fun to have snorkel gear ready for a closer look.

Travis and I brought along motorcycle camping gear for some wild beach camping under the palapas they have available at the beach.

Our motorcycle camping gear includes:

• our tent and tarp
• sleeping pads
• air-up pillows
• MSR gas camping stove
• and collapsible cooking pans and utensils

Bug spray is a MUST for motorcycle camping, especially on the beach. Once the sun set over the horizon, I was wishing we had bug spray to battle the sandflies.

They tend to get worse after night swimming and hanging out on the sand in your campsite!

Food and Water

We brought along some food from town to cook over our makeshift grill that doubles
as our rear bike rack during the day’s ride. We also brought a gallon of fresh water along with our camelbacks and self-filtering water bottles.

However, we did not know this, but if there is one thing plenty available at Playa El Coyote, it is FOOD!

Vendors come around offering so many varieties of food, drinks, and even cups of sweet mango with a little bit of a unique-tasting hot sauce drizzled on top. Delicious!

Bring along some swim shoes so that you can easily walk on the rocky sand when you wade into the water. The rocks may hurt your feet, and a good pair of swim shoes can protect you from any jagged edges.

Paddle boarding is also very popular at Playa El Coyote due to the beautiful water and the chance to see so much sea life.

If you have the equipment for kayaking, it would be ideal to bring it along as well. We saw quite a few people in boats and kayaks in the water when we arrived.

All of the food was fairly cheap, only a few pesos, and wild camping for the night on the beach is typically 200 pesos. A very nice man typically walks around and collects 200 pesos from you if you are planning to camp.

Bring some cash!

Day at the Beach

We rode through Mulegé, Mexico, to Playa El Coyote, near the Sea of Cortez.

The views of this beautiful beach are instantly stunning, with the sun’s rays happily dancing on the crystal clear blue water.

Playa El Coyote is an absolutely beautiful beach. We saw some amazing spots for beach camping during our journey.

This spot, along with a few favorite spots in El Salvador, definitely were among the top of my favorite beach camping discoveries.

As soon as we arrived at the beach, we were all excited to dive into the cool water for a swim.

The day was hot, and the water was refreshingly cool to our sunburned skin. While we swam around in the water, we could see tiny fish swimming around us. We decided to dig our toes into the seafloor to find clams.

Excited to gather their next meal, the tiny fish quickly surrounded our toes as we kicked up food particles.

When we held still, the little fish would nibble on our feet! The water was so crystal clear. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Then came a night perfect for motorcycle beach camping on Playa El Coyote.
We set up the tent in a palapa while the sandy shores slowly cleared of beachgoers.

We waited excitedly for the sun to go down so we could catch a glimpse of Playa El Coyote’s natural phenomenon. 

Bioluminescence has been described as a nightly, sparkling glow of the ocean. Bioluminescence on the ocean’s surface occurs when a photoprotein produced by plankton becomes disturbed by the motion of the sea.

The tiny marine organisms light up with bluish-green color and beautifully decorate sandy beaches as the waves roll in.

Expectations

We had all heard of these types of beaches before. But none of us had yet had the opportunity to see them. Austy and Colter rode out to meet Travis and me soon after the last bit of sunlight left the sky.

The four of us waited for darkness to settle deeply around us. We watched the water closely. But nothing was happening. At least nothing that we could see.

We started thinking that we had missed them and weren’t going to get to see any bioluminescence. Austy, Colter, and I grumbled about the nonexistent cell service.

And, consequently, the inability to “Google it” or research any details about marine bioluminescence to see if there were answers to the lack of activity.

In our digital world, we have grown accustomed to fact-checking our lives with the instant gratification of the internet. It felt weird to be without it. 

While we discussed various theories concerning the mysteries of bioluminescence, Travis wandered off into the water.

I assumed he wanted to use the vast ocean “facilities”. Which wasn’t out of the ordinary when we went motorcycle beach camping.

However, almost immediately, he exclaimed, “Umm…GUYS! Come check this out!” There hadn’t been many waves on the calm, clear-watered El Coyote Beach.

As soon as Travis waded in and disturbed the water, he started to see electric blue dots surrounding his hands and legs!

Seeing the Bioluminescence

The brightness of the quarter moon in the sky was making it difficult to see the bioluminescence. But large clouds soon began to roll in front of the moon, and these incredible organisms seemed so much brighter.

Every time we waved our hands underwater, it looked as if we were wearing an oversized glove with a blue flame.

We played, swam, and kicked for a few hours in the ocean. Laughing and giddy like little kids, we all agree that it felt like we were in a Disney movie.

As if we were surrounded by fairies.

The bioluminescence was amazing. I can’t come close to describing the magical experience in words.

I rank this experience next to seeing the Northern Lights, and that’s one of the most extraordinary natural beauties this planet has to offer.

This is why we travel!

Summing it up

In hindsight, the trip to Playa El Coyote was great, but we could have avoided moments of disappointment. We all wanted to see bioluminescence, but none of us had done any true research on the topic.

With no access to the internet, we left our experience up to chance. Fortunately, Travis’s bladder presented the moment we had been waiting for.

Would I visit Playa El Cote again?

Yes, I would absolutely visit Playa El Coyote again! Now that I have gotten a taste of the beauty of bioluminescence, I would love to see bioluminescence on different beaches.

There are so many amazing places we discovered while riding through Mexico. Some surprisingly cool hidden gems, and some that took our breath away. Playa El Coyote is definitely at the top of the list.

Another absolutely amazing place to see bioluminescence in Mexico is Holbox Island. There are tons of things to do and great places to stay if you aren’t up for camping on the beach.

If you are looking for more amazing beaches you can’t miss while visiting Mexico, I strongly recommend checking out Loreto and La Paz beaches.

Also, be sure to visit Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, and Cabo beaches! They tend to be more touristy locations. However, they are gorgeous and should all be on your bucket list of places to see in Mexico.

Tips for seeing Bioluminescence

Well, first, I would say don’t visit just for the bioluminescence. The beach is beautiful, both in the daytime and at night.

You’ll get to see all sorts of magnificent fish and sea creatures. And there are breathtaking views and picturesque sunsets along the shores.

Read as much as you can about bioluminescence before your visit. Prepare as much as you can with tips, and the best ways to take photos. 

We did not have cameras that were able to capture the magic of the bioluminescence. The lack of cell phone service made it difficult for us to read about the best ways to see it after arriving.

Be sure to plan your trip to Playa El Coyote on a night with little to no moonlight.

The darker the night, the better you will see and experience the magic of the bioluminescence.

Bring along cash, camping equipment, bug spray, and anything else you might need.

Once you arrive, you may want to spend a few days here to take in the beauty of Playa El Coyote!

Lastly, be patient and have fun! There are plenty of things to see and do at Playa El Coyote. So don’t worry if the moon is too bright or you fall asleep and miss the bioluminescence.

You can still have a blast experiencing this absolutely beautiful part of Mexico.

Happy travels!